Aquaclass vs Concierge on Constellation

[Jacques O]

Hello,

 

i'm considering booking a cruise in Northern Europe this summer, either on the Constellation out of Amsterdam or the Infinity out of Harwich.

 

Some offers price an Aquaclass cabin about 100 USD higher than a Concierge class cabin.

Is this small price supplement worth it?

 

2 years ago, took a cruise on the Soltice in Concierge class cabin, which was excellent.

I understand that the BLu restaurant for Aquaclass pax is really good. cabin amenities are very good too. What about the spa access and its facilities?

I'm not too sure, now, about the cabins locations, as they can be under the pool deck, which has a large overhang, or can be noisy.

 

thanks for your info, that will help me make my choice.

 

Jacques O, in Paris.

[Miaminice]

We sailed on the Constellation in December and had an AQ stateroom.

We loved the Conny and we really enjoyed AQ. As many more will tell you, BLU is well worth 100 $ - great food, great ambiance.

 

BLU got us hooked on AQ. On board Constellation we booked two future cruises - both in AQ.

 

AQ staterooms are on deck 9 or 11. We had a cabin on deck 9. No noise issues whatsoever. The large overhang (only deck 9) bothered me a bit... my wife even liked it.

 

IMHO the free entrance to Persian Garden is not really a perk on Millennium-Class. Quite small, no windows... kind of had a dungeon like feeling. Totally different to S-Class.

 

I´d go for Aqua!

[hcat]

Glad you think AQ was a good choice! We are booked for that category in 2015.

 

After booking we had second thoughts when we heard that BLU does not have its own kitchen on the Connie but shares with MDR.

 

We have not been on M class in quite awhile (not since "solsticiizing" took place). Are the AQ cabins the former CC cabins with the larger size and more storage? we used to book those to get CC perks, the larger room and better stroage and did not mind the overhang..

[miched]

The Persian Gardens on a M class is a joke. As the other poster said it is like a dungeon. Probably won't spend more than 30 minutes at any time or during the whole cruise. Their are no heated loungers just a pew like bench along a wall.

 

Blu is the only real perk and I would value AQ about $15 to $20 more per day per person and that may be stretching it. If you have the drink pack it would be on the low end, high end without it for the fresh juice, smoothies and bottled water.

 

That is my opinion and I will stick by it.

 

 

 

🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[bigbenboys]

Hello,

 

i'm considering booking a cruise in Northern Europe this summer, either on the Constellation out of Amsterdam or the Infinity out of Harwich.

 

Some offers price an Aquaclass cabin about 100 USD higher than a Concierge class cabin.

Is this small price supplement worth it?

 

2 years ago, took a cruise on the Soltice in Concierge class cabin, which was excellent.

I understand that the BLu restaurant for Aquaclass pax is really good. cabin amenities are very good too. What about the spa access and its facilities?

I'm not too sure, now, about the cabins locations, as they can be under the pool deck, which has a large overhang, or can be noisy.

 

thanks for your info, that will help me make my choice.

 

Jacques O, in Paris.

 

We have cruised Aqua once on the S class ships. We are tring it again at the end of this month. We are not that fond of Blu or the Persian Gardens. I do like the bottled water and the shower head/wall of jets. We also like the overhang and have not had any noise from above. Richard

[Miaminice]

Are the AQ cabins the former CC cabins with the larger size and more storage?

 

The only way I can answer this question is by saying that we felt the stateroom was large enough... one complete wall was a mirror, so it felt huge. The shower was really huge with double glass doors.

 

I do not know if BLU and MDR shared a kitchen. Probably... but again, the only way to answer this is that we really liked the food and service - separate kitchen or not :-)

 

For those who are interested, here are some pics...

https://plus.google.com/photos/115329951158712806430/albums/5966611491113241825

 

This was the x-mas cruise 2013 sailing from Fort Lauderdale

Edited May 21, 2014 by Miaminice

[Orator]

I've been in Blu several times on every S Class ship and two of the M Class ships. Things change, but in my experience Blu on Connie was the best. Best pancakes in the fleet. As I said" "Things change" as staff move, but I would select AQ on Connie, especially AQ1.

[hcat]

Thanks for the replies .. and Maiminice for the link to your photos--very nice!

 

Glad high marks for BLU and AQ on Connie..aftre next cruise on Reflection we may be happy to return home to M class ships!!

 

It is hard to tell the sizes from the newer brochures..but I had a 2012-2013 one (pre-changes) that shows the former CC staterooms where my now AQ cabin is located. It lists it at 194 sq ft and reg balcs at 170.. so from that diagram looks like the AQ room we have booked is the larger size..we liked those in the past!

 

please: anyone with a booking pls go by the current plans..I do not want to create confusion--just checking on my own cabin!

Edited May 21, 2014 by hcat

[Oville]

I've been in Blu several times on every S Class ship and two of the M Class ships. Things change, but in my experience Blu on Connie was the best. Best pancakes in the fleet. As I said" "Things change" as staff move, but I would select AQ on Connie, especially AQ1.

 

I agree with you, Blu on the Connie is the best of the fleet.

[Northern Aurora]

Glad you think AQ was a good choice! We are booked for that category in 2015.

 

After booking we had second thoughts when we heard that BLU does not have its own kitchen on the Connie but shares with MDR.

 

.......

 

[/i]

 

We are great fans of Blu, and have been in Aqua Class both on S and M-class ships. Just a quick comment -- I have never noticed any quality difference in Blu between the two classes of ships.

 

We left the Constellation earlier this month, and we felt the meal quality and service in Blu was excellent.

[Member123]

Hello,

 

i'm considering booking a cruise in Northern Europe this summer, either on the Constellation out of Amsterdam or the Infinity out of Harwich.

 

Some offers price an Aquaclass cabin about 100 USD higher than a Concierge class cabin.

Is this small price supplement worth it?

 

2 years ago, took a cruise on the Soltice in Concierge class cabin, which was excellent.

I understand that the BLu restaurant for Aquaclass pax is really good. cabin amenities are very good too. What about the spa access and its facilities?

I'm not too sure, now, about the cabins locations, as they can be under the pool deck, which has a large overhang, or can be noisy.

 

thanks for your info, that will help me make my choice.

 

Jacques O, in Paris.

 

Hi, Jacques,

 

I think I'm in a unique position of being able to have a conversation with you about your decision. We had a fun couple of cruises on the Constellation, recently, for Spring Break. The first cruise, we were in a Concierge stateroom because we were sailing with our family (kids and grandson) and wanted to be close in proximity with our staterooms and to dine together. Aqua Class only has double occupancy so we didn't consider booking there, because that decision would have been pretty pricey.

 

On the B2B, second leg, we moved from our Concierge category to Aqua Class, on Deck 11. So, in the space of 10 days, we sailed 5 of them in a concierge stateroom, followed by 5 days in Aqua.

 

The sizes of the stateroom are identical. But, the amenities are quite different. I won't bother with amenities that are the same, just list the differences between the stateroom(s). In Aqua Class, we had a newer stateroom (because of the Deck 11 location), so the furnishings were quite lovely. There was a glass door on the shower rather than the shower curtain. The shower head was wonderful, with a rain shower component as well as a panel of adjustable spray heads. Bottled water was complementary. Some interesting differences in the drawers! The drawers had soft, self-closing door hardware which was nice, but also took away a bit of interior space (I don't know if that's because the door interior needed to be smaller to adjust for the increased space of the door hardware?). I wouldn't have noticed this difference, if we hadn't just moved from the concierge stateroom, quite frankly.

 

If you are at all a spa person, there is a lot to like with Aqua Class. I know that people aren't very complementary concerning the Persian Gardens. I agree that the Persian Gardens on the S-class ships are wonderful, but I will tell you that the Persian Garden on Constellation is really quite nice. It's not true that the tiled seats aren't heated: THEY ARE HEATED. They are different than the S-class in that you are seated in a more vertical position when you sit on the bench, but you are still receiving a benefit from the warmth and it feels absolutely wonderful on your hamstrings and back. There is an experiential shower, sauna, steam... and they are all working and lovely to experience. FYI, our sailing on Constellation was just a few months ago.

 

Also, if you are a spa person, you might enjoy the AM/PM routine that is available on the stateroom TV (by Rodney Yee). It's an absolutely wonderful way to start or end your day... if you're involved with a yoga, relaxation, or stretch type of body awareness practice.

 

I don't know why the comment that BLU shares a galley with the MDR makes a difference to that cruiser. I've eaten in BLU on many Celebrity ships: Equinox, Eclipse, Solstice, Summit, Constellation. Every single BLU restaurant has been a wonderful experience in food quality and service. Interestingly, after eating in the MDR for the 5 days, followed by the 5 days in BLU.... I would tell you that the food experience was really good in both locations. What I love about being able to dine in BLU is having that venue for breakfast... almost more than even eating there for dinner. Breakfast in BLU is leisurely, quiet... and a fantastic start to a day. When you eat in BLU, the quality of service is exceptional; they really get to know your likes/dislikes and preferences. For me, that's almost more important at breakfast than dinner.

 

I don't know if any of the things that matter to me... matter to you. Maybe if you have a specific question, I could help you? Anyway, I hope that I've given you some information you can use in your decision.

 

P.S. I am visiting Paris in September! I'm so excited about returning to Paris. I last visited in 2006.... so happy to be returning! :D

[bobsfamily]

Our first cruise on Celebrity was this past March in AQ2 (deck 9) and loved it. Blu was great, although we only ate once for breakfast (up late). We enjoyed it so much we are doing it again this coming Feb. in AQ1 (deck 11) with an aft balcony. I did enjoy the PG, wife not so much.

Have a wonderful Cruise!

Edited May 21, 2014 by bobsfamily

[Jacques O]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for your quick replies and your comments. Hum.... i'm tempted to book and AQ category. The supplement is 100 usd, equivalent to just more than 8 usd per day.... per person! Let's hope the cabin location will be fine...

Jacques

[Jacques O]

Hi again,

one question about Blu: it works on an open-sitting basis, but surely we can share tables? I like to spend some time with fellow passengers whilsts dining.

Jacques

[Miaminice]

Bonjour Jaques!

 

AQ for 8$/d is a no brainer - DO IT! You will not regret it!

 

If you follow the link posted above you will find pictures of BLU. There you´ll see that the smaller tables at BLU are separate but quite close together. We were always able to chat with people at the next table.

 

Due to the open seating, it is most likely that you´ll meet different people all the time.

 

And yes, I second the comment about breakfast at BLU. It is a treat. Quiet, personal and delicious :-)

 

[Gracie115]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for your quick replies and your comments. Hum.... i'm tempted to book and AQ category. The supplement is 100 usd, equivalent to just more than 8 usd per day.... per person! Let's hope the cabin location will be fine...

Jacques

 

I would definitely try to book AQ on deck 11 on Connie. We were in 1116 in December and it was a great stateroom, very quiet, larger balcony than what you have on deck 9, we had 2 chairs, 2 tables, a foot stool. The staterooms are brand new and the balconies do NOT have the overhang which we loved because it gave such great views of the sky and did not feel closed in at all.

 

Blu on Connie was wonderful, we've never been disappointed in Blu on any ship and Connie was no different. I am not sure about sharing tables although many of the two tops are close enough together that you can certainly converse with the next table with no problem. Have a wonderful cruise.

[Jacques O]

I would definitely try to book AQ on deck 11 on Connie. We were in 1116 in December and it was a great stateroom, very quiet, larger balcony than what you have on deck 9, we had 2 chairs, 2 tables, a foot stool. The staterooms are brand new and the balconies do NOT have the overhang which we loved because it gave such great views of the sky and did not feel closed in at all.

 

Hi Gracie115,

Thanks for your warm recommandation.

 

Ideally, I'd love to get a deck-11 cabin, but if I book an AquaClass cabin, it will be a garantee one, and i'm not sure they'll allocate us up there..... I'm apprehensive about the overhang above deck 9 (lack of light and sun) and noise from the pool deck or lido....

we are 'Select' tier of the Captain club..... this might help !

 

J.

[Miaminice]

Hi Gracie115,

Thanks for your warm recommandation.

 

Ideally, I'd love to get a deck-11 cabin, but if I book an AquaClass cabin, it will be a garantee one, and i'm not sure they'll allocate us up there..... I'm apprehensive about the overhang above deck 9 (lack of light and sun) and noise from the pool deck or lido....

we are 'Select' tier of the Captain club..... this might help !

 

J.

 

Select level will not really help...

However, there really is no bad Aqua Class stateroom, so don´t worry ;-)

[Gracie115]

Hi Gracie115,

Thanks for your warm recommandation.

 

Ideally, I'd love to get a deck-11 cabin, but if I book an AquaClass cabin, it will be a garantee one, and i'm not sure they'll allocate us up there..... I'm apprehensive about the overhang above deck 9 (lack of light and sun) and noise from the pool deck or lido....

we are 'Select' tier of the Captain club..... this might help !

 

J.

 

Since you will be on a "guarantee" it is my understanding that if you don't like the location of the room they assigned you can call and see if there are any other rooms open in the same category that they can move you to.....don't know if this would get you up to Deck 11 or not but it might get you a better location on 9 if you don't like what they assign.....just a thought!!:) ...and if it were me I'd probably make the call and "ask" if there is something up there .... the worst they can do is say no.....:)

[goofysmom99]

I got off the Connie yesterday and ate in Blu for 18 nights, as I recall. The food and service really were much more personal. They handled my specific dietary needs (celiac) seamlessly. You definitely can converse with the people sitting beside you. I arrived at roughly the same time every evening and requested the same waiter so I wouldn't have to explain things repeatedly. Only had to wait in Cellar Masters twice, maybe 10 minutes. After this delightful experience, I'm probably going to upgrade my future cruises to AQ. BTW, after my guarantee cabin was assigned, I switched it from under the pool deck to the first cabin under the spa area. Knew the spa treatment room above would be carpeted. Super quiet. For $100, I'd be there in a heartbeat! Enjoy!

[bobsfamily]

Since you will be on a "guarantee" it is my understanding that if you don't like the location of the room they assigned you can call and see if there are any other rooms open in the same category that they can move you to.....don't know if this would get you up to Deck 11 or not but it might get you a better location on 9 if you don't like what they assign.....just a thought!!:) ...and if it were me I'd probably make the call and "ask" if there is something up there .... the worst they can do is say no.....:)

AQ2 is deck 9 and AQ1 is deck 11, so if wanting deck 11 you need to be a guarantee in AQ1

[Miaminice]

AQ2 is deck 9 and AQ1 is deck 11, so if wanting deck 11 you need to be a guarantee in AQ1

 

To my knowledge there are only Aqua guarantees. No chance to choose A1 or 2, you'll get A1 or A2... whatever is left. Since the staterooms on deck 11 are likely to be booked, chances are high a guarantee will always be on deck 9.

[bobsfamily]

To my knowledge there are only Aqua guarantees. No chance to choose A1 or 2, you'll get A1 or A2... whatever is left. Since the staterooms on deck 11 are likely to be booked, chances are high a guarantee will always be on deck 9.

I would have to agree. We are so looking forward to deck 11 next Feb. Our only problem now is that another couple may join us on the cruise and I am not sure they want to pay the extra from a verandah cabin to the Aqua.... which leaves us in a quandary about dinner, want to sit with them but sure don't want to give up Blu!

[Gracie115]

AQ2 is deck 9 and AQ1 is deck 11, so if wanting deck 11 you need to be a guarantee in AQ1

 

To my knowledge there are only Aqua guarantees. No chance to choose A1 or 2, you'll get A1 or A2... whatever is left. Since the staterooms on deck 11 are likely to be booked, chances are high a guarantee will always be on deck 9.

 

But as I said there is NO harm in making the phone call.....worst that can happen is they get refused.....but depending on who you talk to on any given day at X you may well find someone who will agree and do the upgrade if there are rooms open.....I would certainly try if it were me.....I had a veranda guarantee once that was bumped up from lowest "obstructed view" to a great room up on deck 8 when I called....so it is worth the effort.....you never know unless you AT LEAST try.....just saying....:)

[Jacques O]

Hello again, thanks for your advice....

 

I have just booked the cruise... an AQ cabin (guarantee), with a US online cruise agent.

Mind you, the site showed a 100 USD discount for senior passengers, but when the two fares added for the grand total... there was no sign of that reduced fare... and I noticed that after I had completed the booking! Spent 30 mn on the phone... The lady said that she had called Celebrity, but that there was no reduction for those over 55 !! That is really misleading.

 

So, it's an 8th July departure out of Amsterdam to the Baltic Capitals.

Let's hope the AQ status matches my expectations!

I'm certainly looking forward to the cruise; i'm going to post a note on the roll call.

 

Jacques